Riggs was a tennis star in the 1930s and '40s — winning Wimbledon in '39 and the U.S. championship in '39 and '41 — but by the 1970s he was a hustler and impresario.

Once the hoopla ended and play began, it was no contest.

Riggs, at 55, was no match for the fit King, 29. She ran him back and forth around the court, playing the aggressor, rushing to the net and smacking winners. She won easily 6-4, 6-3, 6-3.

Game, set, mismatch.

"Most important perhaps for women everywhere, she convinced skeptics that a female athlete can survive pressure-filled situations and that men are as susceptible to nerves as women," The New York Times said.

Last April, in an interview in USA WEEKEND, King talked again about her old adversary.

"I adored him," King said. "We stayed in touch. I kept telling him, 'It's not about winning a match. It's about making history, making a difference.' The last conversation we had on the phone, the day before he passed away in 1995, he said, 'We did make a difference, didn't we?' I thought, 'He finally got it.' "

HOW THE TWO COMPARED

King

Riggs

29

Age at time of match

55

Career major titles

12

Singles

3

39

Total

6

Borne by four bare-chested men dressed as slaves

Grand entrance

Carried in by five women known as "Bobby's Bosom Buddies"

Gave Riggs a gift fit for a male chauvinist, a pig named
Larimore Hustle (Riggs' middle name was Larimore).

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